


let me be your superhero for once

by untakenbeepun



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: Adam cheers him up, Bad Things Happen Bingo Prompt: Arm in a Sling, Caleb is miserable, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 12:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untakenbeepun/pseuds/untakenbeepun
Summary: Caleb is miserable after an getting an injury on the football pitch. Adam's there to cheer him up.
Relationships: Adam Hayes/Caleb Michaels
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1515029
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49





	let me be your superhero for once

**Author's Note:**

> Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt: Arm in a Sling

Caleb was feeling miserable.

And it wasn't enough just to feel miserable on his own, he had to feel all the misery that his misery was causing others. It was just one big cycle of misery and sadness, and it _sucked._

Even Adam was a little unbearable to be around. Usually, Adam soothed his emotions, but ever since Caleb had fallen on the football pitch and had someone run over his arm and shatter his wrist, Adam's emotions had smothered him worry and pity.

_Pity._

Fuck, he hated it. The moment he'd fallen on the pitch in front of the whole school, he'd been flooded with the sludgy feeling of pity. Everyone knew that he wouldn't be playing football again this season. He saw it in the way that their eyes caught on his sling as he walked through the school halls, and he'd feel that goddamn sludge of pity.

Caleb had taken to coming straight home so that he could lounge in his room and feel sorry for himself. He’d do nothing but sprawl across his bed, stare at the ceiling, and play playlists from Adam over and over., staring at the ceiling, playing playlists from Adam over and over.

_Adam. _

Guilt poked its way through his chest and added to the misery. He'd felt Adam's panic almost instantly as he'd fallen on the pitch. He'd been wracked with it as fell, overwhelmed with it as half the team crowded around and stared at his arm, and by the time Adam and the coach had taken his other arm and guided him to the nurse's office, he was just about sick of it.

He'd been cruel to Adam then.

"Will you just fucking _stop_ hovering over me?" he'd snapped back in the nurse's office, and then instantly regretted it as soon as he felt that tinge of sadness and shame burst through from Adam.

But Caleb had been too worked up to apologise. Football had been such an anchor for him through the whole of his school life, especially with the discovery of his ability and all the problems that came alongside that. To know that he was probably going to be out for the whole season was nothing short of devastating, and as much as he tried to put on a brave face and not let it get to him - it really, really _was_ getting to him.

He'd shouted at Adam in the nurse's office, and then hadn't spoken to him as he'd been taken to hospital, and then cried when he found Adam waiting for him on the porch steps at home.

Adam was too good. Far too good.

"Sorry I snapped at you,” Caleb said, joining him on the porch. 

"That's alright," Adam said a little too lightly, eyeing Caleb's arm. "It must have hurt a lot."

"This?" Caleb jostled his arm, now bound in a sling. "It's not so bad."

"Caleb," Adam said, fixing him with that raised eyebrow, I-Don't-Believe-You-Caleb-Michaels stare that he'd perfected long ago.

"Okay, fine, it really fucking hurts."

"Sorry," Adam said, letting Caleb rest his head on his shoulder, even though he was much bigger than Adam and had to bend halfway over himself to reach.

It was cold outside, and Adam had insisted on giving Caleb his jacket.

"You should keep it; you'll be cold too."

"I'm not the one with a broken arm."

Caleb almost rolled his eyes. "I have an extra jacket inside."

"Caleb, just once would you let _me_ be the superhero?"

Caleb grinned, and there it was, that wonderful green that settled around them whenever Adam was around that evened everything out.

Then he'd kissed him, and the night had softened into that green glow, and Caleb calmed down completely.

But that one lovely night couldn't keep the next day from coming, and the day after that, with school without football, with sideways glances in the hall, and _pity, pity, pity_.

Caleb tried to turn over onto his stomach, but he'd forgotten about his dang arm, and winced when a spike of pain shot up his arm as he tried to twist. Instead, he lay miserable, staring up at the ceiling.

From downstairs, he heard a soft knock on the door and then someone coming up the stairs. He knew it was Adam before he even got to the door because the whole room had settled into a comfortable, easy green.

He launched himself up from the bed a little faster than necessary and opened the door to a slightly surprised Adam, who gave a soft grin.

"You look happy to see me," he said.

"I'm always happy to see you," Caleb said. "How did you know I was feeling miserable?"

"You keep rushing away from school as soon as the bell rings. It's not hard to figure out why," Adam said, letting himself into his room and settling down onto Caleb's bed. "I thought you might still be upset about missing out the season."

Caleb sighed, and Adam reached out a hand to curl around Caleb's, lacing their fingers together. "You'll be good to go back next year. Nothing will stop you being Caleb Michaels, school hero, again."

"I'm not the school hero."

Adam gave him one of those smiles that made Caleb's insides feel a little like jelly. "You're_ my_ hero."

A grin broke out on Caleb's face at Adam's cheesiness. "You dork."

"Meathead," Adam countered, affectionately. "I brought you something."

"Presents?" Caleb said, perking up. 

Adam rolled his eyes. "I made you another mixtape," he said, pulling a tape out of his pocket. "Here you go."

Caleb took it and read the title, "Songs To Listen To While Moping About Not Being Able To Play Football." Caleb let out a laugh. "Do you have a track list?"

Adam handed over the paper. 

He scanned the songs. Read top to bottom, the first letter of each song spelled out:

A D A M L O V E S C A L E B

Caleb's heart sped up, green flooding over him pleasantly as he looked up and saw Adam blushing prettily, looking everywhere but at him. After that, it was all Caleb could do but reach out, take Adam's face in his hands, and kiss him gently.

"Caleb loves Adam too," he said, and Adam gave an embarrassed grin, pressing his face into Caleb's chest.

Caleb kissed him again, and again, and after that, all thoughts of broken arms and football seasons had gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at [bee-elzebub](https://bee-ezlebub.tumblr.com/) and on twitter at [@untakenbeepun](https://twitter.com/untakenbeepun)


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